The pupils we have failed? Parents' Perceptions of the Homeschooling of Pupils with Special Educational Needs during the Covid-19 Shutdown of Schools
Abstract
The closure of schools as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic is a unique experience of the Czech education system and of families as well. The situation appears to be specific for to the students with special educational needs (SEN), for which distance learning can present different risks and benefits than for non-SEN pupils.
The article deals with the course of distance teaching for pupils with SVP in spring 2020 from the point of view of their parents. The online questionnaire survey was attended by 4030 parents of primary school pupils, of which 506 were pupils with SEN.
The questionnaire mapped the provision of recommended support measures, the frequency and type of pedagogical communication, the frequency of peer contact, conditions in families during distance learning and parents' concerns about the child's further academic results. Analyses have shown that according to parents pupils with SEN are less likely to communicate with teachers compared to non-SEN pupils, while parents are mores likely to communicate with teachers, but are less satisfied than parents of non-SEN pupils.
Parents are worried about the further development of the child, and children are in less frequent peer contact compared to children without SEN. According to a slightly higher than half of parents, children with SEN were not provided with recommended support measures during distance learning.